March 2023 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN March 2023 Page 69 The Temple Gwathmey Stee- plechase Foundation has elected three new trustees and re-elected two others, Diane Naylor and Dixon Stroud. James A. Brodie and Michael E. Hoffman will be stepping down after three terms of service. The new members of the non-profit organization are Na- tional Steeplechase Association owners T. Van Wyck Cushny and Paul Willis, and retired racing official George Cary. A lifelong resident of Locust Valley, N.Y., Cushny, whose parents and grandparents owned horses, began riding at age two. In the 1960s, he foxhunted with the Meadow Brook Hounds (his mother was the Master), competed in horse shows, and was member of the Meadow Brook Hounds Pony Club, which was founded by his grandmother. His first hands-on experience with steeplechasing came about as a young teen when he worked for legendary conditioner Mikey Smithwick at Mrs. Ogden Phipps’ farm in Roslyn, N.Y. “Mikey was a tremendous mentor of mine, and treated me like family,” recalled Cushny, who would continue working summers for Smithwick for three years, after which he would work on his farm in Hydes, Md. “I frequently went to the races with him, Dot, his wife, and Mrs. Phipps. When Sara- toga started I would work in a barn that Mikey rented across Caroline Street from the Annex because I was too young to be licensed by NYRA.” Cushy is also the father of NSA jockey Wyck Cushny, who rode on the circuit from 2001 to 2004. Cushny is a licensed NSA owner and has two horses with newly crowned champion trainer Leslie Young. He is an avid supporter of the TGSF’s initia- tive to assume administration of the Central Entry Office and to preserve the historical informa- tion that has been accumulated by Will O’Keefe over the last 40 years. Originally from Newcas- tle, England, Paul Willis came stateside in 1984 on a college soccer scholarship. “My mum always loved horses and my dad, as a hobby and part time interest, was a professional bookmaker for 35 years in England,” Willis said. “As a kid, I'd do the book for him as well as the tic tac (bookie signs for prices). While we traveled all over the north of England and Scotland, I worked multiple Epsom Derbys and Aintree Grand Nationals, and the Grand National was what established my love for jumps racing.” Willis, who resides in New- fields, N.H., with his wife, Molly, has two adult sons, Aidan and Owen, who both love sports and enjoy following the horses. Aside from horses, Willis’ professional life largely revolves around the Seacoast United Soccer Club (he is the founder and president), and currently serves as vice president of soccer for 3Step Sports, a Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation Elects Trustees primarily youth organization that spans nine sports in 43 states. Willis sees his experience in sports management, fundraising, and financing as an asset that can help grow steeplechasing, and he is actively involved in working to introduce new owners to the sport either through his syndicate, At- lantic Friends Racing, or on their own. Willis was instrumental in attracting his friend, prominent flat owner Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables, to jump racing. George Cary of Hockessin, Del., is a third-generation horse- man whose family has a long history in racing, polo, hunting, and showing – a tradition now carried on by his two daugh- ters, one an accomplished show rider, the other an assistant to trainer Graham Motion. Cary’s own involvement traces back to the early 1970s, as a rider and eventer, with extensive showing experience. Beginning in 1972, Cary worked as a racing official for the Ontario Jockey Club and at various tracks in the Northeast and Midwest, holding various titles, including assistant racing secretary. During that decade, Cary also attended the Jockey Club’s racing officials’ school and had a stint working at Wind- fields Farm in Chesapeake City, Md., tending to E.P. Taylor’s private yearlings for the Keene- land July Sale. Later, Cary was the field representative for The New York State Breeding & Development Fund, and for two decades served as an investigator for the New York State Racing & Wagering Board (later renamed the Gaming Commission). In 2016 he came out of retirement (for five years) to take on the job of placing judge at Delaware Park. Re-elected to their second term on the board are NSA licensed owner Diane Naylor and Willowdale Steeplechase race chair Dixon Stroud. Real Estate